Lubricants News and Updates

Dennis K Burke is excited to announce that we are now an official distributor of Castrol automotive & heavy duty lubricants throughout the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont!

Castrol is a premium product line, and offers a range of advanced motor oils including synthetics, synthetic blends, high mileage, conventional, and diesel engine oils. We are excited to add Castrol to our product mix!

For more information on Castrol & Castrol Lubricants, check out their website at www.castrol.com

We just got this in the mail - NESSARA, or the New England Service Station and Automotive Repair Association is a non profit group that works very hard on behalf of small, independent service stations, repair facilities, and similar companies in the industry to keep them informed of policy changes that can affect their business, and lobbies against legislation that hurts small business' bottom lines.

We are proud to announce that we are now official supporters of the PQIA - the Petroleum Quality Institute of America. The Institute's focus is testing and ensuring that lubricants, transmission fluids, and motor oils available in the marketplace have been tested and verified to be of high quality.

There have been a lot of questions regarding Marine vessel lubricants and the VGP regulations on them, so we thought it would be a good idea to lay out some of the fundamentals on the topic. The VGP regulations on vessels requires that vessel operators replace conventional lubricants with environmentally friendly options whenever possible.

The concern isn't so much spills as normal amounts of lubricants lost in vessel operation, such as from stern tubes. A 2011 study by the European Commission DG Joint Research Centre actually found that routine operational lubricant discharge created more pollution in the Mediterranean Sea than accidental spills did. That's pretty significant!

By using more environmentally friendly products, operators can minimize damage to the environment while still meeting lubrication needs.

Key issues are if a product is biodegradeable - either readily or inherently, whether its toxic to the aquatic environment, and how much bioaccumulation compounds in the product cause (how much it will build up in living tissue over time). For example, conventional petroleum based lubricants have the potential to bioaccumulate, don't biodegrade well, and can be highly toxic to the aquatic environment. In contrast, PAG, synthetic ester, and vegetable oil based Environmentally friendly lubricants biodegrade readily, have low toxicity to the aquatic environment, and do not bioaccumulate. So in that context, it makes a lot of sense to switch as much vessel lubrication as possible away from conventional lubes.

In future posts we'll get more in depth on what different products meet VGP requirements, as well as what different parts of the regulation mean to different businesses and vessel types.

We talk a great deal around here about proactive solutions - ideas and programs that, with a little time and capital ultimately save us time, money, and maybe most importantly - save us from the headaches of unanticipated problems. A major proactive plan that's been awesome for ourselves and several of our customers is Oil Analysis.

What if you could get an analysis emailed to you every time you PM'ed your fleet - whether that was tractors, heavy construction equipment, or a specialty machine?

What if that analysis could tell you your equipment may have a slow coolant leak, or your system showed a little corrosion?

With that kind of heads up, you could proactively schedule down time for that equipment to be repaired without dealing with the chaos from equipment failure.

What if on top of that, your report let you maximize oil drain intervals?

With that info, you could schedule your maintenance out more easily, and save on your overall lubricant spend in many cases.

CITGO has a calculator on their site you can calculate what oil analysis may save your business based on mileage, fleet size, etc - you can try that calculator out here: http://www.hdlubes.com/Calculator/

(CITGO offers this analysis to Dennis K Burke customers for FREE on qualified engine oils, so you can try it no risk and see if it adds value to your bottom line..... Dont use engine oil? No problem - Dennis K Burke offers an analysis program for Industrial & Specialty Equipment as well )

You can read more about Oil Analysis benefits in general (especially for industrial equipment) on the WearCheck USA site here: http://www.wearcheck.com/

The peace of mind from knowing your fleet is running at maximum efficiency, and your mechanics have a heads up of small engine issues before they result in catastrophic failures and downtime alone is worth it.

If you would like more info on Oil Analysis in general, or how DKB can help you get started, fill out the contact form on the right or call us anytime.

Antifreeze prices will be going up for all major suppliers this Spring due to the rising price of Ethylene Glycol. Ethylene Glycol is the main componant of automotive antifreeze - but it is also used in the manufacture of plastics and resins, including plastic soda bottles and it is also used in some medical applications. The increase in demand, especially for manufactured plastics as a result of economic expansion in countries like China has made global prices continue to climb.

As an effect of this, antifreeze manufacturers bear a higher cost of production for finished product, so costs are continuing to rise on the supplier level as well.

Most suppliers have set their increases to take effect on April 1 - we are holding off til April 12th to try and give you an opportunity to beat the increase if you can. If you would like to place an order before the prices increase dont hesitate to contact us at 617-884-7800 or email us at lubeorders@burkeoil.com

We all know that icing is one of the major causes of cold temperature fuel-related problems. As it gets colder, ice crystals begin to form in diesel fuel that contains about 500 ppm of water. In cold weather, diesel fuel is also prone to gelling, the solidification of diesel fuel into a partially crystalline state. These solidified waxes thicken the fuel, and then clog the fuel filters, causing the engine to stop running.

We're excited to announce special pricing for Diesel Exhaust Fluid for the rest of December. We carry the highest quality DEF and we have the logistics to get it to you. Special pricing is effective on the conveniently sized 2.5 gallon jugs, in quantities from 25 jugs delivered (or pick them up at our headquarters and receive the special pricing with no minimum) to full pallets. (For more than pallet loads, contact lubeorders@burkeoil.com for pricing)

If you run a fleet requiring DEF, or a shop who's customers require it, this is a great opportunity to stock up and save! Don't wait though, special pricing expires December 31st!

Up to 50% of all winter diesel vehicle breakdowns can be attributed to water and bacteria (bugs) being pumped from the main diesel storage tank into the vehicle. This can cause plugged fuel filters, equipment downtime and lost revenue.

THE DIESEL GUARD PROGRAM

The ValvTect Diesel Guard three-step pre-winter tank maintenance program is designed to keep your fleet up and running this winter by safely removing the two biggest causes of winter shutdowns; water (ice crystals) and bacteria.

STEP1.

PUMP OUT EXCESS WATER

Over time, water builds up in diesel storage tanks creating a breeding ground for bacteria. Even when entrained in a vehicle's diesel fuel, water will begin to freeze when the fuel temperature reaches 32º F., forming ice crystals that can plug fuel filters. First, pump out and properly disposed of excess water in your diesel storage tanks.

STEP 2.

CHEMICALLY REMOVE RESIDUAL WATER

After pumping, any remaining water is removed by treating the next two or three diesel fuel deliveries with Diesel Guard Tank Dri, a water dispersant and freeze point depressant. Diesel Guard Tank Dri is a non-alcohol water dispersant and deicer, formulated to safely remove a controlled amount of water from the diesel fuel's storage tank.

* Safely Removes Moisture

* Reduces the Freeze Point of Water

* Non-Alcohol and Non-Flammable

* One Gallon Treats 7,500 Gallons of Diesel Fuel

STEP 3.

KILL BACTERIA AND BIO-CONTAMINATION

Once all water is removed, "shock" treat the tank with BioGuard Micro-Biocide to kill bacteria and other bio-contamination. BioGuard is the industry's most effective biocide. Spare fuel dispenser filters should be on site to filter out dead bacteria after BioGuard treatment.

* Kills Bacteria and Algae

* Fast Acting

* Ultra Low Sulfur Compliant

* One Gallon Treats 2,500 Gallons of Diesel Fuel

*Dennis K. Burke offers a full line of ValvTect Diesel Guard products.*

Dont forget - until September rolls on in, you can still save 5% off your entire Bioblend order for first time Bioblend customers!

As always, feel free to call us with any questions at 617-884-7800, where any of our dedicated Customer Service Reps can answer all your questions. You can also email us anytime at lubeorders@burkeoil.com to ask a question, or place an order.